Sally Anthony: Pops Anti-Princess

When I got Sally Anthony’s cd in the mail I wasn’t sure what to expect. The intro feautures hovering helicopters, clearly announcing that Sally Anthony has indeed landed. From her album cover and website address, it was easy to perceive that she is pop’s anti-princess. This image is strengthened by her second song, “Goodbye,” featuring Mo-Unique, with lyrics like “I’m ready and willing to take you on/Just tell me when and where c’mon, c’mon/You can hide behind your entourage or cell phone/But you can bet your pretty ass I’ll be there alone.” Mo-Unique then tenaciously tells the truth, touting “Fuck you homie you picked the right one.”

ACD that started off so strong suddenly surprised me: Sally can both bring it AND sing it! I was suddenly stunned by her ability to sing a slower song. She has the balance of the beat and the ballad. From rap rhythms to rock riffs to piano, punk and an astonishing acoustic song, Sally’s sound is strong but her voice can also be vulnerable.

Anthony’s art has the youthful appeal of Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl”, with an interlude informing that “this is for the kids,” sprinkled with wisely written words. On the sixth song, one of my personal favorite picks from the CD, she sensibly shares “Giving up would be selfish.” On the interlude nicely nestled at number eight, Sally’s in the studio and her ravishing requests are “coffee and a bottle of Jack.” On track fourteen she advises, “The hardest thing to do is be true to you/But if you listen to your heart there’s no way you can lose.”

Sally offers a good mix of marketable music that could easily be in rotation on the radio. She sings something for everyone. Her disc is dance, dirty, and down right dexterous! She has the catchy with the cursing and a versatile voice. Sally has a lot of weapons to work with and although she is pop’s anti-princess I predict it will only be a matter of time before she is threatening to take over that throne.